Pati Jinich is host of the popular Emmy and James Beard nominated PBS series Pati's Mexican Table, author of two cookbooks, and resident chef at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, DC. This is her official website where she shares recipes from her show and new recipes in her blog, plus upcoming events, recent news, and more.

On a Soup and a Book

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On a Soup and a Book

It is partly because of a soup like this, that I want to write a cookbook.

A soup that makes me feel all warm inside when I spoon it into my mouth.

A soup that has the earthiness and simplicity that grounds me.

A soup that, aside from having a comforting base, has layers of surprising life and color and crunch.

A soup that makes me want to eat nothing else for an entire week.

A soup that speaks of centennial traditions and is passed down through generations recipes.

A soup that is a pleasure to think about, to write about, to talk about, to prepare and to savor.

It is mostly because I want to share a soup like this with you, dear friends, that I am jumping to write this cookbook.

So with great news to share: I will be working with the delightful Rux Martin, editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, to make this cookbook come to life.

In this book, I will write about -and tell you how to make- all of those foods that make me want to scream out of joy, along with the stories that revolve around them.

So here you go, for this Fall season, which has already galloped in front of me as I was barely putting away my monsters’ bathing suits: The Sopa Tarasca. One of my favorite soups in the whole entire world.

As with many Mexican dishes, it has a base of tomato, onion and a bit of garlic.

But it also has the addition of the prune like, exuberant flavor of the Ancho chile.

After those ingredients are cooked, pureed and seasoned, they are mixed with a bean puree…

and chicken broth…

As if that earth shattering base wasn’t enough, this soup is garnished, to your liking with Queso Fresco…

From the Purépechas -also known as Tarascos- who inhabit the mountainous regions of the soulful state of Michoacán, and after whom this soup was named in its colonial capital of Morelia where I have eaten it one too many times, to the city of Washington DC in the United States of America, where I make it regularly for my Mexican American family: and hopefully it will find a place at your table too.

I lost my breath in that sentence…

Enjoy!

p.s. If you have any Mexican food craving, just name the dish, I will try to make a page for it in that cookbook.

Tarascan Bean and Tomato Soup

Print Recipe

6 to 8servingsSopa Tarasca

Ingredients

For the soup:

6cupsof bean puree

1poundripe plum or roma tomatoes

1clovegarlic

1ancho chilesteam and seeds removed

1/2cupwhite onionroughly chopped

2tablespoonssafflower or corn oil

3cupschicken brothvegetable broth or water

1teaspoonkosher or sea saltadd more to taste

For the garnishes:

4corn tortillascut in half and into strips, fried until lightly golden or toasted

Place the tomatoes, garlic, and the seeded and stemmed ancho chile in a saucepan, cover with water and simmer over medium-high heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until tomatoes are completely cooked through. Once the tomato mix cools down, place it in a blender or food processor with a cup of the cooking liquid, the raw white onion and a teaspoon of the salt; puree until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the tomato puree and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it darkens in color and thickens in consistency. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the bean puree and broth or water, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the soup has seasoned and has a creamy consistency. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Turn off the heat as it thickens quickly.

The soup without the added garnishes may be cooled and stored in a closed container and refrigerated for up to 4 days. Since it thickens a bit as it cools, you may need to add some chicken broth or water to thin it out when you reheat it.

Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle on top a tablespoon each of cream and cheese, a handful of tortilla strips, a few fried chile strips and some diced avocado. You can also place garnishes in bowls on the table to let your guests garnish to their liking.

Ingredients

For the soup:

6cupsof bean puree

1poundripe plum or roma tomatoes

1clovegarlic

1ancho chilesteam and seeds removed

1/2cupwhite onionroughly chopped

2tablespoonssafflower or corn oil

3cupschicken brothvegetable broth or water

1teaspoonkosher or sea saltadd more to taste

For the garnishes:

4corn tortillascut in half and into strips, fried until lightly golden or toasted

Place the tomatoes, garlic, and the seeded and stemmed ancho chile in a saucepan, cover with water and simmer over medium-high heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until tomatoes are completely cooked through. Once the tomato mix cools down, place it in a blender or food processor with a cup of the cooking liquid, the raw white onion and a teaspoon of the salt; puree until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the tomato puree and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it darkens in color and thickens in consistency. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the bean puree and broth or water, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the soup has seasoned and has a creamy consistency. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Turn off the heat as it thickens quickly.

The soup without the added garnishes may be cooled and stored in a closed container and refrigerated for up to 4 days. Since it thickens a bit as it cools, you may need to add some chicken broth or water to thin it out when you reheat it.

Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle on top a tablespoon each of cream and cheese, a handful of tortilla strips, a few fried chile strips and some diced avocado. You can also place garnishes in bowls on the table to let your guests garnish to their liking.

Greetings from Idaho! I’m bored to death at
work so I decided to browse your website on my
iphone during lunch break. I love the information you provide
here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m shocked at how fast your blog loaded on my phone ..
I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyways, awesome blog!

I just want to tell you that I am all new to blogging and really liked this web-site. Likely Iâ€™m likely to bookmark your site . You certainly come with very good writings. With thanks for revealing your blog site.

I just saw online that your cookbook is available for pre-order on Amazon!!! 🙂 I am so excited! I tried your avocado ice cream and your recipe for avocado and steak sandwiches. My kids loved both! I can’t wait to have a book!! I hope those recipes are in there, but if not I have them bookmarked.

Pati, I just stumbled upon your TV show this week. You have a new fan! You are so charming and enthusiastic, and your recipes look and sound wonderful. I love Mexican food but like many (most?) people, I have not been very familiar with truly authentic Mexican food. I’m so glad to see you are coming out with a cookbook. I will look forward to getting a copy when it comes out!

Hola Pati. I’m also of Mexican descent and my mother who passed away several years ago never wrote down her recipes and I never observed how to make them. It’s one of my biggest regrets! Your recipes are similar to my mom’s cooking & I can’t wait for your cookbook. How do I get a signed copy?
Gratefully yours,
Vero

Please, please, please hurry and release the book! My mother grew up in Guadalajara (proudly “Jaliciense!”) but unfortunately was not able to keep cooking Mexican food when she moved here nor was she able to bring any cookbooks–although most of her knowledge was passed on from mi abuelita and not written down. Your recipes are the closest to hers and I would love to have your cookbook! Is there an email list to notify us when it will be released?
Que Dios te Bendiga y La Virgen de Guadalupe te Quide!

Hi Pati,
I see your show on PBS in La Mirada, California. My father was from Cuiadad de Maiz in San Luis Potosi. From that area they made these enchiladas that were very different from the ones I order in the Los Angeles area. They looked like small tacos, but they redness came from the actual masa where chili was directly added to the masa. In the enchilada the filling was made of potatoes and carrots and the enchilada/tortilla was fried. Toppings were cabbage and queso fresco. Typically you would eat the enchiladas with a fried piece of salted meat, kind of like beef jerky. I would love to have this recipe, so that I can make it at home.
Miguel

Hola Pati,
I submitted a comment, but perhaps I clicked the wrong button. Anyway, I just wanted to say that although I am new to your site and to you, I am fast becoming a fan!! I caught your appearance on â€œThe Chewâ€ yesterday, and I am anxious to see more of your recipes. I am going to write in to our local PBS station to try to influence them into obtaining your show. I was reading your heartfelt words about what food means to you and you made me cry. I thought of my beautiful mother, Lupe and how much she enjoyed cooking for her family. She was a wonderful cook who didnâ€™t cook from recipes until late in life. She became a fan of many cooking shows and would write down a recipe that caught her eye. It has been six years since she passed and I still come across the slips of paper where she jotted down something that she would make, she became fearless in trying new recipes, techniques and ingredients…and this was when she was in her 80’s. She would kill me for telling her age!! Please keep telling a story with your recipes! Anxiously awaiting your cookbook… Linde

Thank you so much for your lovely thoughtful comment Linde!! Your mother sounds like a wonderful cook and am honored that I was able to remind you of her! If you have any requests, please let me know 🙂

I really enjoy watching you on CreateTV and so happy that there are now 2 gurus (you and Rick Bayless). Both of you have expanded, and honor, the breadth of taste and traditions of Mexican flavors. I’m a baby boomer with ancestral roots of Spanish and French. Those dear souls of the previous generation are nearly all gone. Now,as a 3rd generation Mexican-American, I am trying to remember and re-create the methods, tastes, and aromas from the kitchens of my mother, grandmother and great aunts. One of the best compliments my sons gave me was on a day they came for supper and said, “Wow, Mom, it smells good, just like Grandma’s!” Thank you, Pati, for helping me expand and recreate Mexican flavors and memories in my kitchen.

Hi Pati,
I adore your show, which I just discovered and I am bookmarking recipes from your blog like mad. Starting with Sweet Potato Salad with Chorizo and might serve it for breakfast with scrambled eggs on the side because I just can’t wait to try it. 🙂
Really looking forward to your book’s publication. You have to come to Chicago as part of your book signing tour.
Be well.
Diana

Hola, Pati! Thank you for your wonderful TV program and for the great variety of dishes that are so appealing. Today, I watched one of your episodes in which you prepared fideos in tomato sauce. Oh, my goodness…that took me back to the ’50s when my mother would prepare sopa de fideos. To this day, I can clearly remember the smell of the fideos cooking. I am so excited for the release of your cookbook. Please reserve a couple of signed copies for me. I can hardly wait; know it will be wonderful.

I am originally from Texas and grew up on food and flavors that I really miss. It was great to find your show so that I can create all of these dishes anytime I want. Your techniques and recipes are easy to follow. One of my favorites is simply carne asada and fresh tortillas. I have been looking for a resource for authentic mexican cuisine and now I found it! Gracias para tu regalo 🙂

I love your cooking show & watch it as much as I can. In your cookbook,I hope you list a recipe for creamy-cheezy corn chowder. Please let me know once your cookbook is published. I certainly want a signed copy!

Hola, Pati:
I truly enjoy your tv program and reserve that time slot just for you (I don’t even answer my phone!). I think the best part of the program is the authenticity of the recipes and how easy you make them to follow. So, when is the cookbook coming out? I had hoped I would be able to purchase one before Christmas, as a gift for my daughter. She’s recovering from breast cancer right now, and to keep herself busy until she can return to work, she’s learning to cook, and your program is one of her favorites.
The only criticism I have about the program is that the music is sometimes so loud that I can’t hear what you’re saying. Maybe it could be toned down a tad?
Thank you for such a fun program.
Cactus Pena

Hola Cactus Pena, Thank you so much for watching my show! I am so happy you enjoy the recipes. I am so sorry, the cookbook is not out yet. The good news is that the manuscript is finished and it should be out in the next year or so. Cactus, I also want to thank you so much for your comments about the music. We will make sure to tone it down in the next season. Please, give my best to your daughter! I am adding as many recipes as I can on my blog, so please share them with her! 🙂

Pati,
I just tried this recipe and loved it, the flavors melt together and the taste is so, so good.
I can hardly wait for your recipe book to come out and would love to have an autographed copy.
I also love your cooking show and you only make it better !
I will be trying other recipes from your show and know they will be outstanding.
I love you, your show and recipes, keep up the great job you are doing.
Sincerely,
Linda C.

I just discovered your show and blog today, I can’t wait to make my own floating islands! I need to get a copy of your book so I can try to cook authentic mexican for my husband, his mother is from Jalisco and makes so much delicious pozole, tostadas and menudo, not to mention the best retried beans Ive ever had. We dont live near her anymore, so he misses her cooking. Any helpful tips on getting the beans right would be appreciated!

I have just discovered your show and website. I love it! I can hardly wait for your cookbook. One of my favorite dishes is the grilled pork, chicken & or steak on a clay pot. It usually has a small container of melted cheese in the middle. If you could include a recipe for this I would love it and so would my husband.
Thank You
Laura

Hola Pati,
I love your authentic Mexican cooking amiga! Atole de Arroz Con Canela, ‘Empanada de Calabaza’, ‘Gorditas’Tortillas de Azucar, ‘Pan de Maiz’, ‘Caldo de Rez’, ‘Machito de Chivo’, and homemade Corn/Flour Tortillas off a hot grill (comal) are amongst my favorites growing up as 1 of 9 siblings, and our parents w/ lots of relatives from Monterrey, N.L., Mexico. Most of us were born in Mexico, but raised in ‘el valle’/Hidalgo County/Weslaco, Texas!
Thanks for ALL you do,
Emma Vela Benavides
PS: The kitchen is the ‘heart of our home’ in our Mexican heritage, and our legacy is our children learning our recipes, and passing on the traditions.

Hi Pati!
Love your show! Excitedly waiting for your book so i can throw away all my paper copies of the recipes. Keep using dried and fresh chilis and not chili powder. Almost everything authentic is available in stores or “tienditas” these days. PLEASE include a pozole verde recipe using pork; been looking for a good one for a long time. Thanks for a great show!

Muchas gracias Pati por tu receta de pozole verde! Es muy delicioso!! You have earned many fans with your great cooking show and recipes! I was wondering if you have ever made chilis rellenos with jalepeno peppers? very different from anything i have ever seen in any “mexican” cookbook. Many of my friends are from Vera Cruz, and so it may be a dish that is specific to that area. Anyway, thank you for your generousity and sweet way! Cuidete mucho!

I just happened to catch your pbs program and fell in love with the subject matter. My grandmother was from Michoacan and as a kid enjoyed her cooking as well as my grandfather who was from Jalisco. Unfortunately I never got around to writing down recipes as they always made everything from scratch and from memory. She would make tortillas for my friends who loved the real Mexican food, and ask how many tortillas do you want. She would proceed to pour flour out of the bag(not measuring) along with the other ingredients and she would have the just the right amount of masa for the number of tortillas. Her older brother owned three restaurants in Fresno CA and was equally good in the kitchen. Your program does bring back alot of good memories, but would like to know where can I buy your book?
Thank you.

Hola John,
What a lovely message. I am so glad my recipes are able to take you back to such wonderful memories. I have a cookbook coming out in 2012. If you join my email update list, you will receive updates about the release date. 🙂

I have been watching your show on Create & love it! I spent a couple of summers in Mexico & I had the good fortune to enjoy delicious local flavor meals prepared by the people of the church where we were doing some volunteer work. I can’t wait for the book!

Hola from El Paso!!!
I recently found your show and am now addicted to your show..I have always been very intimidated by Mexican food…I was never able to learn from my Mom or my beloved Abuelita…I cannot wait for your book to come out!!! Please hurry!!! Thank you for your wonderful recipes!!

Hi Pati,
I accidently saw your show today at WHYY and loved it. We are vegetarian family and enjoy Mexican food. I generally cook Indian food but love experiment with different cuisine and Indian spices. I would love to get a copy of your book. But not sure how to place an order. Is it published yet? Keep up the good work. Looking forward to seeing your shows. Give me great ideas for new dishes.

Hi Rajat, Thank you so much for watching and inquiring about the book. I am actually working on it now, and it should be out in 2012. Please keep following the site for updates! I hope you continue to enjoy the show 🙂

Hi Pati,
I must say that I absolutely love your show and website! I am Mexican American, and I am just now learning a bit about my culinary roots. Pretty soon I’ll be marrying my lovely gÃ¼erito, and I would love to delight him and the rest of his midwestern family with Mexican food and history as rich and authentic as yours! I cannot wait for your cookbook, and congratulations on your truly one-of-a-kind work! Would love it if you could include tacos de carne deshebrada. 🙂
Un abrazo,
Valeria en Texas

Hola Pati, my daughter ankd me watched your show for the first time yesterday and we loved it. I am not a good cook but you have inspired me to try the recipies. The food looked delicious and your stories and explanations are entertaing and informative. Congratulations and thank you!

Hola Elizabeth, I think you must give yourself more credit! I am so happy that both you and your daughter enjoyed the show. I hope you continue to watch, and would love to hear about your great success in the kitchen!! 🙂

I just saw you on TV and I just browsed around this lovely website and I am very impressed. I can’t wait for the cookbook to be out. I hope I can order it from Canada. I loved this recipe and would love to see a recipe for a Tortilla Soup.
Felicidades x tu exito.
Saludos,
Gabriel

I have been watching Pati’s Mexican Table for the last 3 weeks and love it. You are a great hostess and I love the recipes you make.
I especially enjoy the stories about where you obtained the recipes, in particular, the recipes from convents and monasteries. I haven’t ever heard of recipes from these religious orders but of course, these women would have their specialties. What a great idea! Please try to make more recipes from the convents and monasteries for future programs.
My best to you, Becky

Hi Becky, Thank you so much for writing to me and expressing your liking for the historical aspect of the show. I am so passionate about delving into historical research for each and every recipe. I was absolutely fascinated by the stories behind the recipes from the convents. I will do my best to keep bringing you exciting, interesting and inspirational stories and recipes!

I’m really looking forward to your cookbook. Your food is so like the food my mother used to make. I look forward to your show every week. It’s the best show featuring Mexican cuisine! You are a down to earth chef! Keep up the great work and hurry and finish your cookbook. DJ

So looking forward to this cook book. I work at a PBS station and watch your show every week with anticipation. Your’s is my favorite cooking show on Public Television or anywhere for that matter. I love how you speak and make the recipes interesting and easy to understand. And the music on the show is wonderful!
It would be nice if the cook book had a spiral spine so it lays flat on the counter while you’re following it!
Thank you,
Valerie

Pati,
Watched your show for the first time yesterday!! Loved every minute, the stories the recipes and the fact that it was replayed to make sure we got it!! Can’t wait to see it again and looking forward to the cookbook as well.

Watched you for your picnic this past Saturday. I am in love with the show after one viewing. Lovely stories about your life growing up in Mexico, the things your mother taught you-the age by the egg beating-LOL! Please include the stories in your cookbook and so very important the best photos possible of the ingredients you reference-many of us will be unfamiliar with them so the photos will help us locate them; and phtos of the completed dishes. Thank you for a lovely 30 minutes of viewing. Size of the book is important-keep it small with a spiral spine if possible.
Gracias, Linda

Hola Linda,
Thank you for such sweet comments! I will definitely add stories like that into my cookbook as well as photos for ingredients. You should check out the ingredient section of my website, here is a link to it: http://patijinich.com/02-ingredients/
I hope it helps to answer some of your questions you may have about Mexican ingredients!

I am definitely interested in getting your cookbook. Love your show. So nice to see authentic Mexican food. I am interested in a flan recipe. Keep up the great work. I am now off to make your Garabato Cookies.

Hi Pati,
I just watched your show for the first time today and was very impressed. Like most people I love Mexican food and have been cooking it for many, many years thanks to my mother-in-law (from Mexico),ex-husband and his family, but I want to continue to learn more about the foods. Like many of your viewers I too would like to purchase a copy of your new cookbook and be notified of the publication date. Have great fun writing/putting together your book.

Hi Pati,
After seeing your guest spot on Paula Deen’s show I searched to see if I could find you cooking anywhere else and was overjoyed to find you on PBS Channel 9 out of San Francisco. I love your show and am a “foodie” myself. I love the freshness of your recipes. I had shoulder surgery 2 weeks ago so am laid up and can’t cook, but I am saving up recipes for when I’m able to use my arm. I passed your website onto my daughter who has a 2 year old son and 3 year old daughter. Her husband loves your recipe. I loved the story you told about your blender breaking so you packed the car and went to your mom’s in Mexico to get it fixed. And the comal was a nice story about something the mom gives a daughter. I’m trying to find authentic comal’s for myself and my 3 daughters. I am so happy to have found you and look forward to more yummy recipes. I live in Mendocino, right on the northern California coast. My house is 500′ from the ocean … beautiful here but never warm. If you ever come to California to do a class we’ll be there!!

Pati:
LOVE your cooking, I do not get your PBS show in my area unfortunately…I can not wait for your book! I have studied how to make really good Mexican food for years, let us know when it will be available.
Hugs, Lisa

Sopa aguada de fideos and pork for tacos al pastor. Also, I can never get my Mexican-style spaghetti to turn out right(my mother in law makes it with the ubiquitous tomato/onion/garlic puree and mine is always dry with a puddle at the bottom, so I think I need a recipe.)

I’ll have to give this recipe a try as well as the Tepache recipe. Just waiting for the weather to warm up.
Keep at the cookbook, you got another customer here. I’m very selective about my Mexican cook books and one method I use to determine if the cookbook is authentic is does it have a real Mexican Shrimp Cocktail recipe? Does it have Sopa de Tortilla recipe?
since I live so close to the border, I’ve eaten a lot of street and Bazaar food, and I love it all.
Good luck.

Dear Patti:
I cannot wait to try Tarascan Bean/Tomato Soup!
My mother is from Michoacan, almost 85 years old, of Tarascan/Spanish descent and still cooking for herself in her own kitchen in Ohio.
Your recipe for Mexican Rice, Frijoles and Mole which you made for one of the presentations at the Mexican Cultural Institute was as flavorful as if it was made by her!! I do not ever recall tasting a soup like this made by Mom, but am excited to try this for her when I go home for her 85th birthday this month.
Please keep your fans posted on the publication date for your cookbook. I am sure it will be a great success. I am so happy that you continue to familiarize the public to so many delicious Mexican regional dishes.
Happy New Year to you and your family.
Mary Boland

Hi Mary,
Thank you so very much for your lovely message. Oh I would love to meet your mother!! Every single person I have met from Michoacan is truly adorable…
Of course I will keep you posted on the book, I am working intensely on it!! Have a very happy 2011 ; )

Dear,dear Pati,
We are so excited for you!!!!!!
I can’t wait to see your book!!!!!!! The first time I saw the ‘Wedding Cookies’ here in Canada I thought:wait a minute here….These are ‘Polvorones’ !!!!!!!!!! ……and now I can make them at home!!!!!!!!
I love the way you write and present each and everyone of your recipes….I have shared your blog with so many !!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations on your so well deserved success and I hope to own your ‘first’ book soon!
But as somebody above said: please keep delighting us with your blogging!!!!!!!!!
En nombre de todos los Weiszes de Toronto, todo nuestro cariño,Betty

Hi Pati,
I can’t wait for your cookbook to be released! Please reserve an autographed copy for me too!
All of your recipes, instructions and pictures are perfect! I learn so much when I come here to your website. 🙂
A question:
I have never used Mexican Crema, I’ve always used sour cream instead, is it is the dairy area or on a shelf in the Hispanic food aisle? Do I need to refrigerate the jar after opening it?
Darla (AZtweetr)

Hi Darla,
Reserved for you, you got it! Mexican cream is tangier, thicker and saltier than regular heavy cream. You should find it in the refrigerated section of the international or Hispanic/Latin aisle. Yes, after you open it you keep it in the refrigerator. You are going to love it ; )

I second the request for pozole in your book! My husband is from Chihuahua and his mother’s pozole is his favorite (mine too!). Yours is definitely a cookbook I will purchase – your recipes never steer me wrong – and I have a native food critic 🙂
Suerte, Pati!

Soup looks great! What type of beans do you puree?
Also I’m excited about the cookbook. Do you have any recipes for a good beef tripe menudo which I believe is Mexican? I’m a huge fan of tripe but I haven’t been able to find a good menudo recipe.

I can’t think of a specific recipe to request right now, but you can count me as another buyer of your book! I have tried many of the recipes you’ve posted here and they’ve all turned out wonderfully. Thank you so much for sharing your passion for food with us!

Hello, Patricia! I cannot tell you how excited I am to hear you are finally writing a cookbook! I am a big fan of your blog & I just wanted to put in my suggestions: enchiladas & ceviche. I also agree with matt that there should be some recipes with nopales. I really appreciate you taking our suggestions into consideration. No matter what you put iin there, I know it will be a beautiful cookbook full of delicous recipes. I can’t wait to buy my copy as well as some for my friends & family:)

Pati,
I’m very much enjoying your blog. I too found it by way of Mija by way of kathleeniscookinginmexico.
I would like a book when it comes out as well.
I’ve traveled the entire country of Mexico and have a little beach house in Nayarit. A fabulous cook there makes a fantastic arroz verde. Would love a good recipe as she keeps a secret or two when making it.

Hola Pati,
As always an inspiration from you and now a book too. Fantastic, sign me up.
In addition to the above, your interpretations for…
Something really unique/good with Nopales.
Arroz con Chiles y Queso +- Pollo, Langosta.
Sopa de pan.
Something good with Duck.
Several Moles…
Always a joy to stop by and so far success with everything I have tried. Viva Patti!

FELICIDADES PATI!! Congrats on the book I’ve been wodering about that since I discovered your beautiful blog, Is the going to be avalible in Mexico? I really hope so! When is it going to be published? it sounds like you’re still working on it, BEST OF LUCK!

Any room for arroz con leche in your cookbook? My Abuela used to make a great one, but I have never been able to re-create it. I love your recipes, they take me back to my summers in Merida with my family!
Thanks! Tianna

Mole, I would love to be able to make moles, lots of different moles. Oh, and Chile Relleno. If it were to fit and you could walk your (many, I predict) readers how to make tamales at home I would love to have that. Sweet tamales too. Perhaps an index informing your readers on the different chilies, dried and fresh, (with all their different names) and how to use them or what they compliment best.
I am looking forward to the book!
P.S. I love your blog and hope this new adventure will not take you away too often.

Wonderful. I know it is going to be a great book! I found your blog by way of the Mija Chronicles. I made the albondigas from your blog. I had like 30 tomatoes on my counter from our garden. The albondigas were the best I ever made. I would love to see a recipe for Tacos de Canasta or Tacos Sudados. I followed the link from the Mija Chronicles which I tried. I read about 100 comments from the link. Apparently there is some secret to the method. They were good but not close to what we would get across the border in Juarez. As you know, we can’t go there anymore. We used to go just to eat. I enjoy your writing, your stories and the fact that you cook authentic Mexican in the US. I also would love a copy. I can’t wait. Thanks.

Thank you! You are right, there is a trick to making those tacos sudados work! In Mexico City, were I come from, the best ones were those one finds in the street corners early in the morning or around lunch time…

Oh, if only I could fabricate the memory of a childhood in Mexico like Johnny Depp’s character in Don Juan DeMarco…then I would be able to tell you what specific dish I crave. But alas, I’ve never even been to Mexico. Still, I’ve really been enjoying your recipes, and would love to buy your cookbook. Two copies actually, one for me, and one for the friend who pointed me at your blog. Now, if it were New Mexican food, I’d ask for your recipe for green chile sauce. I keep experimenting with that, trying to capture the taste I remember from Socorro, NM…

Felicidades! Thank you for highlighting the foods of my family’s native MichoacÃ¡n and finally making it easy to understand how to make them! If I could plead for these to be in your cookbook… pozole verde, chilaquiles (maybe a little healthier?) and arroz de leche… thank you!

This soup sounds magnificent for a chilly autumn night. Thank you for all the great stories and photos. Your site is the best! Reading it transports me to my grandmother’s kitchen. Can’t wait for a signed copy also! Please?

Can I buy 10 advance copies of the book becasue I am going to give it to all my friends as presents? Everyone loves everything I make that comes from one of your recipes. I can’t wait. It will be fabulous to read, look at and cook from. Gracias!

I’d buy your cook book for sure–and I’m picky about owning cook books, because I don’t have much storage space. But your Mexican food is authentic! I wish I could hang out in your kitchen and learn from watching you cook. Your photos are always fabulous too.
Soup is one of my favorite foods and I’ve never heard of TARASCAN BEAN AND TOMATO SOUP. I like albondigas and posole very much and would love it if those recipes were in your book as well.